Rotary intaglio printing and embossing press



May 22, 1956 J. w. NEUMANN 2,746,387

ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING AND EMBOS'SING PRESS Filed Nov. 7, 1950 6Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. John W Neumonn N "3 mg:

May 22, 1956 J. w. NEUMANN ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING AND EMBOSSING PRESSFiled Nov. 7, 1950 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 n R n ma W 16 N n e J A Horneus.

y 1956 J. w. NEUMANN 2,746,387

ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING AND EMBOSSING PRESS Filed Nov. 7, 1950 6Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. John W Neumonn A fiorneus.

y 22 1956 J. w. NEUMANN 2,746,387

ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING AND EMBOSSING PRESS Filed Nov. 7. 1950 6Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

John W Neumcmn A f forneqs.

May 22, 1956 J. w. NEUMANN ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING AND EMBOSSING PRESS6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Nov. 7, 1950 INVENTOR} John W Neumann A florneqs.

embosse's.

ROTARY INTAGLIO AND tEMBGSSING John W. Neumarm, De'tioit Mich a'ssignorto Ro tographic, Inc., Ferndal'e, Mich, a corporation of Michi-Application November-7, 1950,8615?Nr194 478 ill'Claims. (Cl. rar -1 'sMore specifically, the invention contemplates "a rotary printing presswherein an engraved 'r'rietal die 'is' mounted on the surface of oneroller and arranged to engage the surface of another roller withsubstantially line contact pressure so that when a web of paper is fedbetween the two rollers the ink from within the engraving cuts on thedie is applied to the paper. The second roller has secured thereto amale die which registerswith theengravcuts on the femaledie to permitprinting and embossing in one operation. The arrangement also includes"a nov'linking mechanism for applying thedesii'edamohnt of ink to theengraved die and a novel mechanism for the die.

"In the drawings:

Fig; 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional viewdhrough the rotary pressof this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged :sectional-viewof rthe wiping the inkfrom the unengfraved' surface portions of ink and-printing rollers takenin :a plane perpendicular to their axes er rotation and looking from--the side of the press opposite the drive.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the printing andwiping rollers taken in a plane perpendicular to their axes of rotation.a t

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective .view in section of the dieand counterrollers showing .theimanner in which a web of paper fedtherebetween is simultaneously printed and embossed.

Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the press on "the side opposite the driveand shows the conveyor arrangement therefor.

Fig. 6 is a top elevation of the press anda portion of the conveyor.

Fig.7 is 'a diagrammatic view showing thcdiiv -arrangemerit for the dievand counterrcllers and for the rotary knife. 1 1 t Fig. 8 is a viewshowing the drive arrangement, cleaning mechanism, and adjustingmeansfor the wipin'groller.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the conve'yor arrangement.i

United States Patent 2,746,387 Patented May '22, 1956 prises an uprighthollow base10, the upperend of which is'closedat therear portion by abed plate 11. At the upper-end of base Ill'and spaced forwardly of plate'11 there is mounted apairo'fparallcl side frames 13 and 14.

A'pfinting roller 15 and a counterroller 16 are journal-led at one endon frame 13 and'at the othe'r end on frame 14. Rollers 15 and "16 aresfixed upon "shafts 18 and 1841, re 's'p'ective'ly,"the oppositeends-ofwhic h are fitted with bearlin'g's 19. Side frames 13 and areprovided with spaced bearing sockets '20 for i-ece'ivingibearings 19 atthe ends of jsh'a'fts "18. A split bearing cap 21 is arranged to beFigs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary views taken at right secured to theupper "face of side frames 13 and 14 for fixedly holding bearings 19within the bearing sockets 20 andther'eby retaining rollers '15 and 16spaced apart a fixed distance. I

On the surface of printing roller 15 there is secured by'suitable meansa cylindrical die ,plate 22 which extends 'circuinferentiallyaround'rolle'r I5 and which is engraved on its surface as at 2'3'wit'hthe legend or representation to be'printed.

A 'couriterld is .secu'red'to the surface of roller 1 6 to correspondimposition with the engravin on die 22. The number of counters 24corresponds with the number of separately engraved'area's on "dis plate22. In the embodinrentillustrated 'dieplate 22 is .engraved at twodiametri callyoppose'd areas and therefore two diametrically positionedcounters '24 'areeniployed. Counters 24 may be formed of 'a varietyofmaterials such as pa er, plastic materials such as resins, and fabric orpaper impregnated with resins orthe like. In the {fO'lfn er machineillus- "trated in Figs. 1 through *11 each counter 2"4 is of thelaminated'ty c comprising "a plurality of stri s dfjpapcnz's which arebniltn'p oneupon'the other'with adhesive until the desired thicknessofthe eount'er'i's obtained. Ir-it is desiredto use the'pre'ssforz'embossing as well as' rinting, then *the "counter 2 is builtup to athickness such'that, when the two rollers are rotated, the lamin ions 25are compressed hydra die'pla'te 2'2 and the engraving cuts 23 producecorresponding projections 26 on the surface of counter'zt -jwhichregister and interfit with the en raving and "1'6 are'both gear drivenat the same number cfrevolirtions. In crdcitoinsiire the samesnifsccspeed for both "rollers, which-I have found to be absolutely essential,it is referred to space the bearing sockets 2 0 a art a fired distanceequal exactly "to the diameter of inner "15 as increased by twothicknesses ofdi'e plate 22 which win he an accurate total diameterequal "to the pitch diameter or the gears 67 and69. Then by building upthe counter '24, as-by the paper laminations 25, the same surface] speedof the unengraved surface of die plat'ef22 and'the surface of counter 24is insured, since the diameter at roller 16 increased by the thicknessofthe two counters 24 will be exactly equal to the diameter of theroller "'15 increased bytwo "controlledthicknesses of die plate 22.

For supplyingink to die plate 22-, there is provided an ink fountain 30having a substantially flat base 31 and upright side walls 32 at eachside thereof; Base 31 is fashioned to receive a receptacle 33 for inkwhich may be secured to base 31 as by a screw 29. A roller 36 isjournalled at each end in the side walls 32 and dips On. its lower sideinto the ink within receptacle 33. Roller 3 6 is provided with acontinuous layer of rubber 37 on the cylindrical surface thereof. A.doctor blade .38 is arranged to engage the surface of roller 36 andthereby control the thickness of the film of ink on the surface ofroller 36;

Ink fountain 30 is positioned on plate 11 such that roller 36 contactsthe surface of the cylindrical die plate 22. I have found that, inaddition to controlling the depth of the engraving cuts 23 and thedoctor blade 38, the amount of ink applied to die plate 22 can beincreased or decreased by varying the contact pressure between roller 36and die plate 22. Base 31 is accordingly formed with a rigid extension40 which overhangs the rear edge of plate 11 and which terminates inadepending boss 110 (Fig. l). A compression spring 111 acts between boss110 and plate 11 to bias the ink fountain in a direction away fromroller 15. A headed bolt 112 at the rear end of base loosely supports anarm 113 which is threaded to receive an adjusting screw 41. Screw 41 hasa turning knob 42 at one end and a swivel block 114 at its other end.Arm 113 is arranged to be rotated on bolt 112 to an upright positionwherein block 114 engages against boss 110. The base 31 can therefore beurged in a direction opposed to the force of spring 111 to vary thepressure with which roller 36 bears against die plate 22 by simplyturning knob 42, The action of spring 111 is also such that when arm 113is struck with a sharp blow I to disengageblock 114 from boss 110, base31 springs back away from roller 15 and contact between roller 36 anddie plate 22 is immediately broken. A pair of T-bolts 115 on plate 11which extend upwardly through elongated slots 116 on base 31 is providedfor guiding and firmly clampingbase 31 on plate 11 after the properpressure adjustment between roller 36 'and die plate 22 is obtained.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that, when rollers 36 and 15are rotated in the contacting position, a film of ink is applied to thesurface of die plate 22 as wellas within the engraving cuts 23. Thequantity of ink deposited within the engraving cuts 23 determines thedepth of color applied to the paper being printed. The quantity of inkwithin cuts 23 is also important from the stand point of the quality ofthe reproduction produced, since an excess of ink causes spurting andfeathered edges on the legend printed. The importance of regulating thepressure between roller36 and die plate 22 will be readily appreciated,since this pressure and the adjustment of doctor blade 38 determine theamount of ink deposited within the engraving cuts 23.

' The paper to be printed is fed as a web 44 between rollers 15 and 16from a spool of paper 45 which is supported paper is cut to the desiredsheet size, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The paper web44 is drawn through the machine by the rollers 15 and 16 and, sincecounters 24 do not extend continuously around roller 16, rollers 15 and16 are each provided with circumferential pads 118 and 117 between whicha portion of the web 44 is gripped at all times. The thickness of pad118 is such that the effective diameter of roller 15 is exactly the sameatdie plate 22 and pad 118.

The ink which it is desired to transfer from die plate 22 to the paperweb 44 is that ink which is deposited within the engraving cuts 23, andsuitable means are therefore provided for wiping the unengraved surfaceportions of die plate 2 2 free of ink. In order to produce work of thehighest quality, I have found that the wiping mechanism must be capableof wiping the surface die 22 absolutely clean and dry without-removing,to any extent, any of the ink contained within the engraving cuts 23. Awiping mechanism which will produce these results is absolutelynecessary in order to obtain sharply defined characters in deep, solidcolors.

A preferred form of Wiping arrangement which I have found to produce thedesired results is illustrated in Fig. l and comprises a large roller 52which is supported on base 10 below printing roller 15. Roller 52 isformed throughout or provided with at least a surface layer 53 ofnon-absorbent, heat resistant material, such as hard rubber, hard fiber,suitable plastics, etc., which provides a relatively smooth surface onthe roller. The material of surface layer 53 must be capable ofresisting the heat generated by the frictional engagement of roller 52and die plate 22. At the same time, it must be a material which does notabsorb ink and ink solvents so that it may be thoroughly cleaned. I havefound that a wiper roller made of a thermoplastic. material manufacturedand sold by United States Rubber Co. 'under the name Enrup worksexcellently. Roller 52 is supported on base 10 such that the surface oflayer 53 just contacts and wipes over the surface of die plate 22.Rollers 15 and 52 are driven by suitable means, hereinafter more fullydescribed, such that the surfaces of die plate 22 and roller 52 move inopposite directions at the point of contact so as to produce a veryeffective wiping action over the surface of die plate 22. In addition tomoving ina direction opposite to surface of die plate 22, I have foundthat satisfactory results are obtained only when the surface of wiperroller 52 travels at a higher velocity than the surface of die plate 22.The surface of the wiper roller must travel at a rate such that itremoves ink from the point of contact with plate 22 at a faster ratethan the ink is presented by rotation of die plate 22. In other words,wiper roller 52 must remove the ink from plate 22 faster than itaccumulates between the contacting surfaces of the die plateand wipingroller so that there will be no pool of ink at this point which canaccumulate in the die cuts 23. I have foundthat when the surface speedof wiper 52 is about 1%. times the surface speed of die plate 22, asatisfactory wiping action is obtained.

The Wiping action of roller 52 on dieplate 22 generates considerableheat due to friction, and roller 15 is therefore formed as a hollowcylinder and water cooled as by pipes 34 swivelly connected with thecylinder at each end, one of the pipes being a water inlet and connectedwith a water tap (not shown) and the other pipe being a water outletfrom the roller.

For the purpose of removing the ink picked up by surface layer 53, thereis provided a spray nozzle 54 (Fig. 1) which isconnected by a conduit 55with a tank 56 containing a suitable solvent for the ink. A pump57,-driven by a motor 58, is connected with the conduit 55 to producethe desired flow of solvent to the spray nozzle54. A rotary brush 59 ispositioned beneath spray nozzle 54 and rotated such as to scrub thesurface of the outer layer 53 on roller 52. Beneath brush 59 there isarranged a second rotating brush and at the bottom of roller 52 isarranged a pair of spaced apartdoctor blades 121. A nozzle 122 connectedwith pump 57 by a conduit 123 is arranged to spray the surface of roller52 with clean solvent between doctor blades 121. A third rotary brush124 buffs the surface of thewiping roller just before the roller wipesover die plate 22. A. doctor blade 35 engages brush 124.and is arrangedto remove from the brush foreign particles picked up from the surface ofroller 52. A baffle plate 125 is positioned beneath brushes 50 and 1 20to catch the ink contaminated solvent dripping front the surface of thewiping roller and discharge it into a settling tank 60. I

It will be noted that the surface of the roller 52 is sprayed withsolvent issuing from nozzle 54 just after it wipes over die plate 22'.The surface carrying the solvent and ink mixture is then thoroughlyscrubbed by brush 59 which removes the greater portion of the ink andsolvent. The surface of the wiper roller then advances to brush 126where it isscrubbed again after which it is wiped by the first'of twospaced doctor blades 121. Then it is sprayed with fresh solvent bynozzle 122 and wiped absolutely clean by the second doctor blade 121.Thereafter the surface of the Wiping roller is buffed by brush 124 sothat, as it again comes into contact with die plate 22, it is thoroughlyclean and absolutely dry.

For supporting roller 52 on base there is provided a generallyrectangular frame 130 (Fig. 8) upon which roller 52 is mounted by meansof pillow blocks 131 in which the ends of the shaft 132 on which roller52 is fixed are journalled. Adjacent one end the sides of frame 130 areformed with downwardly opening slots 133, the upper ends of which formsockets for bearings 129 arranged on a shaft 134. Shaft 134 isjournalled at each end in the side walls of base 10. The arrangement issuch that frame 130 is free to pivot or rock around shaft 134 to therebyraise and lower roller 52. For controlling the raising and lowering ofroller 52, an adjusting screw 135 is provided (Fig. 1). Screw 135extends outwardly beyond base 16 at one endan'd is provided with a hand-Wheel 136. At its other end screw 135 is fitted with a cone-shapedmember 137 on the surface of which a pair of anti-friction rollers 138is arranged to ride. Rollers 136 are mounted at the end of frame 130remote from shaft 134. A threaded collar 139 engages a threaded portionof screw 135. Collar 139 is fixed at the lower end of a headed bolt 140which is suspended from a bracket 161 on base 10. Bolt 140 passes freelythrough a hole 142 on bracket 141 so that the bolt is permitted to tiltto some extent on bracket 141. 1 Screw 135 is also slidably supported bya second collar 143 fixed at the lower end of a bolt 144 whichextendsupwardly through bracket 141. A compression spring 145 acts betweenbracket 141 and the upper enlarged end ofbolt 144 to provide a somewhatresilient support for frame 130.

It will beobserv'ed that by turning handwheel 136 frame 130 can bepivoted aboutshaft 134 and in this way the pressure with which roller 52is brought to bear against die plate 22 can be adjusted. It will also benoted that, even though roller 52 should become worn to an out of roundshape, the resilient support afforded by spring 145 will maintain roller52 in contact with die plate 22.

Referring to Fig. 7, the drive mechanism for rollers 15, 16 and 36comprises a variable speed motor 6213111161118 mounted at the lower endof base 10. Motor 62 is connected by a pulley and belt arrangement 64With a shaft 65 journalled in side frame 13. A driving gear 66 is fixedon shaft 65 and is arranged to mesh with a large gear 67 which iskeyedto the shaft 16 which supports roller 15. Gear 67 meshes with a similargear 68 on the shaft 13a which supports roller 16 so that the tworollers are rotated in opposite directions and at the same speed. Theopposite ends of shafts 18 and llla are also provided with intermeshinggears 69 and 70 of the same size. There is also fixed to shaft 65 asecond gear 71 which drives a plurality of idling gears 72, the last ofwhich is supported on a shaft to which a smaller gear 61 is alsosecured. Gear 61 is ofthe same size as gear 66 and drives a large gear73 of the same size as gears 67 and 68. Gear '73 meshes with a smallergear 74 fixed to the rotating support 56 on which the knife blades 49are mounted. By controlling the sizes of the gears in the abovedescribed gear train, it will be observed that the speed of the rotatingknives can be controlled relative to the rate at which rollers and 16'are rotated and, consequently, the speed of. travel of the paperweb '44.

Gear 67 at one end or roller 15 (Fig.6) intermesiles with a gear 75keyed to the shaft 76 on which the inking roller 36 is fixed. Gears 67and 75 are designed such that rollers 15 and 36 have the same peripheralspeed.

The driving mechanism for wiping roller 52 (Fig. 8) comprises a motor 78on base 10 which has a chain drive with a sprocket keyed to a shaft 151which is journalled at one end of frame 10. Shaft 151 also supports asecond smaller sprocket 152 which has a chain drive with a largesprocket 153 mounted onshaft 134 A smaller gear 154 is also keyed toshaft 134, and this latter gear meshes with an idler gear 156 which, inturn, meshes with a large gear 157 fixed on shaft 132. The speed ofmotor 78 and the gear and chain drive just described are selected suchthat the surface speed of roller 52 is greater than the surface speed ofro'llerlS, preferably at least 1 /2 times as great. Gear 157 meshes withan idler gear 159 which, in turn, meshes with gears 160 and 161 whichserve to rotate brushes 59 and 120, respectively. Brush 124 is chaindriven from a sprocket 158 keyed to shaft 151.

I have found that when roller 52 is oscillated along its axis as well asrotated, an improved wiping action on plate 22 is obtained and, at thesame time, the roller is more thoroughly cleaned and dried by thedevices previously described which act upon the surface of roller 52.The mechanism for oscillating roller 52 along its axis of rotation. isillustrated in Figs. 10 and 11. Shaft 132, which supports roller 52 andis journ'alled in pillow blocks 131, is extended outwardly at one endbeyond pillow' blocks 131 and rotatably supports a cam member 163 fixedto a sprocket 164. A collar 165 is keyed to shaft 132 and supports aroller bearing 166 which is urgedinto engagement with cam 163 by acompression spring 167 arranged between a nut 168 at the outer end ofshaft 132 and a slip porting bracket 169 on frame 130. Spring 167 issulficiently strong to pull shaft 132 and roller 52 towards the right,as viewed in Fig. 11, so that roller bearing 166 rides at all timesalong the inclined face 170 of cam 163. Sprocket 164 is connected as bya chain 171 with a larger sprocket 172 keyed to the driven shaft 134.Shaft 134 rotates in the same direction as shaft 132, and it will beappreciated that in the arrangement illustrated roller 52 oscillatesback and forth along its axis several times during each revolution erthe roller, since cam 163 rotates at a speed greaterthan collar 165. Therate at which roller 52 oscillates can,- of course, be controlled bysuitably selecting sprockets 164 and 172; the extent of oscillation isof course relatively small and insufiicient'to cause a separation of thedrive at 156, 157 and 159.

It willbe noted that the whole wipe assembly can be removed from thepress by simply disconnecting the chain drives onshaft 151 and liftingframe 130 off shaft 134. This feature is especially desirable from thestandpoint of servicing the press.

The conveyor arrangement for the press comprises a longitudinal conveyor85 and a transversely positioned conveyor 86. Conveyor 85 comprises astructural frame member 87 supported on legs 47. Frame 87 is providedwith a plurality of transversely extending rollers 88 around which isarranged an endless belt 89. Theendniost roller 88 toward roller 16 ispositioned belo'w rotary cutter; S6 and is driven by a gear 90 whichmeshes with an idler gear 91 which, in tort, interenga'ges withgearfilat one end of roller 16. A bank of lights 92 or other suitable heatingapparatus is supportedo'n frame 87 over belt 89 to dry the ink on thepaper sheets carried by the belt.

Conveyor 86 is positioned transversely 'of conveyor 85 at the dischargeend thereof and-comprises a frame member 82 on which are supported aplurality of rollers which support anendless belt 93. The rollers 94 atthe end of conveyor 86 adjacent the discharge end of conveyor 85 areinclined downwardlyand away from belt 89 so that, as the printed sheetsof paper reach the end ofconveyor 85, they fall into an inclinedposition on belt 93. An upright guide plate 95 is positioned along theinclined portion of belt 93 and forms a stop for aligning the papersheets on belt 93 as they fall off the end of belt 89.

A suitable drive mechanism 96 is provided for driving belt 93 at acontrolled variable speed. If the printed matter is simply letterheads,it will be observed that belt 93 can be driven at a much slower rate ofspeed than belt 89, the speed of belt 93 being adjusted so that thesheets overlap oneranother with only the printed matter at one end ofthe sheet exposed. At the discharge end of belt 93 a suitable receptacle97 is arranged for receiving the printed sheets. Lights 98 may bearrangedover belt 93 to facilitate complete drying of the ink and an airblower 99 may be arranged adjacent the discharge end of the belt to coolthe printed sheets.

The operation of my rotary press is believed to be obvious from theabove description. Paper is fed from roller 45 as a web 44 upwardlybetween rollers and 16 and is directed over. the top of roller 16towards the rotary cutter 50.. At the same time, the ink fountain roll36 serves to apply a film of ink of controlled thickness to the surfaceof and the engraving cuts 23 in die 22.

As viewed in Fig. 1 roller 15 rotates in a counterclockwise direction,and therefore the inked surface of die 22 is wiped by roller 52 beforeit comes into contact with the paper being printed. Roller 52 is alsorotated in a counterclockwise direction and the outer surface 53 thereoftherefore wipes over the surface of die 22 to re- I move the ink fromthe surface of the die at a rate faster than the ink is presented to thesurface of the wiper roll by the die thereby preventing an accumulationof ink at the line of contact between wiper surface 53 and die 22. Thewiper surface 53 is then presented to the cleaning devices arrangedaround roller 52. The surface 53 is sprayed with solvent from nozzle 54,is scrubbed by brush 59 and then again by brush 120. The ink and solventare then wiped off the scrubbed surface by the first doctor blade 121and the surface is then again sprayed with fresh solvent and wiped cleanby the second doctor. blade 121. Finally, the cleaned surface of thewiper is buffed by brush 124 so that the surface presented to the die 22is absolutely clean and bone dry.

Rollers 15 and 16 are synchronized in their rotation such that theengraved portion 23 of die 22 registers with the projections 26 oncounter 24. Therefore, as the paper web 44 travels upwardly between thetwo rollers, it is embossed between the counter 24 and the die 22 andthe ink within theengraving cuts 23 is deposited on the embossedportions of the paper to present very sharply defined characters. Itwill be appreciated that in color work the depth of shade may becontrolled by increasing or decreasing the amount of ink applied to theengraved die. As was previously explained, the amount of ink picked upby die 22 can be controlled by adjusting the pressure between roller 36and die 22 as by turning screw 41, by adjusting the doctor blade 38 andalso by the depth of the engraving cuts 23.

After paper web 44 is printed and embossed between rollers 15 and 16, itcontinues around the top of roller 16 and travels toward rotary cutter50. A hold-down roller 100, supported by a pivoted arm 101, aids inholding the paper in a position aligned with cutter 50. The paper is fedbetween knives 48 and 49 immediately after being printed and is therebycut to the desired size, after which the sheets 102 drop on to theendless belt 89 of conveyor 85 which carries the sheets beneath the bankof lights 92 to substantially completely dry the ink. As the sheetsreach the end of conveyor 85 they drop, one at a time, on to theinclined portion of the slower moving belt 93 of conveyor 86. The speedwith which belt 93. is driven is controlled such that the sheets assumean overlapping position (Fig. 9) and the ink thereon is completely driedby the time the sheets are discharged off the end of conveyor 86 intoreceptacle 97.

One of the desirable features of the ink fountain arrangement '30resides in the fact that it enables stopping operation of the machine orchanging from one color to another without requiring a subsequent manualcleaning of ink from the surface of die plate 22 or Wiping roller 52.When it is desired to stop the machine, arm 113 is struck a sharp blowin a direction transversely of the machine to disengage swivel block 114from boss and, at the same time, T-bolt is loosened. Spring 111 slidesbase 31 to the left as viewed in Fig; l and inking roll 36 moves out ofcontact with die plate 22. As soon as swivel block 114- is disengagedfrom boss 110 and bolt 115 is loosened, the main switches (not shown)for motors 62 and 78 are actuated to stop the rotation of roller 15, 16and 52. However, the lapse of time between these operations, even thoughthey are performed in rapid succession, is sufiicient to permit completewiping of die plate 22 and complete cleaning of wiping surface 53. Themachine is therefore completely cleaned when the operation thereof isstopped in this manner.

It will be appreciated that the size of copy that may be printed iscontrolled by the length of rollers 15 and 16. Consequently, if theparticular sheets being printed are shorter than the length of rollers15 and 16, then an additional die and counter may be secured to rollers15 and 16 adjacent the opposite end thereof and an additional inkfountain and wiping roller are provided so as to print and emboss a webof'paper from a second spool 103. When two webs of paper are fed throughthe press in this manner, a second conveyor 104 may be arranged at theend of conveyor 85 to extend in a direction opposite the conveyor 86.

It will also be noted that since the embossing and printing is performedby the substantially line contact pressure as distinguished from planarsurface pressure as with presses of the flatbed type, large copy can beprinted and embossed on a relatively small press.

The press arrangement described herein may also be employed forsimultaneously printing and blank embossing by simply providing aninking roller of a width sufficient to ink only the portion of theengraved legend to be printed. The remainder of the engraved legend isthereby blank embossed. In Fig. 6, for instance, the portion 23a of theengraved legend 23 lies in a plane beyond the end of roller 36 and willtherefore not be inked by the roller. The portion of the paper web whichpasses between the portion 23a of legend 23 and the portion 26:: of therelief legend 26 on counter 24 will be blank embossed while theremainder of the legend will be printed and embossed.

As was previously mentioned, rollers 15 and 16 are spaced apart afixed-distance. This fixed spacing of the rollers insures the samesurface speed of web 44, die 22 and counter 24 and enables controllingthe pressure therebetween by varying the thickness of the laminatedcounter 24. The fixed spacing of rollers 15 and 16 is of specialadvantage for another reason. While the press is being operated with oneset of rollers and dies, another set of rollers may beset up in afixture having journals spaced apart to correspond with the spacing ofbearing sockets 20. The die and counter on the rollers positioned in theauxiliary fixture can be set for the work to be printed and, after therun on the press is completed, the rollers in the press may be replacedwith the rollers from the fixture in a minimum of time. This operationis facilitated by the split bearing caps 21. The time the press is downfor setting up a new piece of work is therefore reduced to a minimum.

In Figs. 12 through 14 there is illustrated another form of printingpress embodying the present invention. The machine illustrated in Figs.12 and 13 differs in its construction from that shown in Figs. 1 through11 primarily in that the ink is applied to the die 22 from the fountainroller and inking roller 176 by an intermediate transfer roller 177.Roller 176 has a layer of relatively soft rubber 178 on the outersurface thereof. Roller 15 has aha-wes mounted on the outer surfacethereof one or more die plates .22 asinthe previous embodimentdescribed. Rollers 177 and 1-6 are eachzpro-vided with similar countersor male die members 180 having projections 1 81 which register with theengraved cuts 23 on the surfaceof plate 22. The shaft 182 which supportsri'oller 1177 and the shaft 18a which supports roller 16 are spacedapart a distance equal to exactly twice .thediameter of roller 15increased by two thicknesses of :die plate 22, and shaft 18 whichsupports roller :15 is located exactly midway between the other twoshafts. These three shafts are preferably journalled at their ends in:fixed sockets on the frame of the machine provided with split bearingcaps (not shown) as in the previous embodiment described. Rollers 15.,16 and 177 are interconnected by suitable gears (not shown) such thatthey will besrotatecl at exactly the same speed in the direction of thearrows in'Fig. 12. Likewise, as in the previous embodiment described,inking roller '176is geared .to rotate at the same peripheral speed asroller 177.

When the machine .is set in operation, roller 176 is adjusted to bearwith the desired amount of pressure against the die member 180 on.roller 177 to apply a film of ink over the surface of the die of thedesired thickness. The surface layer 1178 of roller 176 is relativelysoft so that the ink is applied to the base surface as well as theprojections 181 of die 180. As the roller 17'] rotates, die 180 movesinto registry with die 22 on roller 15, the projections 181 interfittingwith the-engraved cuts 23 on die 22. It will be noted that theprojections 1'81 do not extend to the bottom of cuts 23. Sufficientclearance is allowed at this point to permit the retention of a filmofinkof desired thickness between these members. The male die member 180thereby applies a film of ink to the engraved andunengraved surfaceportions of die plate22. As roller 15 rotates, die plate 22-rotates intocontact with wiper 52 and the ink on the unengravcd surface portions ofdie-plate 22*is thereby removed. The wiped plate then rotates intoregistry with die 180 on roller 16 and the web of paper 44 isther'ebysirnultaneously printed and embossed;

The male die members 180 on rollers 16 and 177 may be similar in form tothe laminated. paper counters 2.4 on the machine illustrated in Figs. 1through 11. A more permanent counter may, however, be for-med quitereadily by pressure molding the same, using the die plate 22 as themold. The material used-for pressure molding the counters or male diemembers 180 may be selected from a wide variety of materials such as'thermo-setting resins, thermoplastic resins, ther-mo plastics such asnylon, and fabric or paper impregnated with resins or plastics. Onematerial which I have found works very satisfactorily is a crepe paperimpregnated with a merino-setting phenolic resin and sold under the namePhenopreg by Fabricon Products, inc. The resin-impregnated paper isformed into a pad of suitable thickness, applied to rollers 16 and 177,and heated. The rollers are then rotated so that the resin-impregnatedpaper is compressed by the die plate 22 into the shape of die 180 withthe projections 181, in which form the resin hardens because of thecombined heat and pressure. In order to obtain the necessary clearancebetween die members 180 and engraved die plates 22, a shim of thedesired thickness may be interposed between the pad of resin-impregnatedpaper and rollers 177 and 16. Thereafter the formed die members areremoved from the rollers, stripped of the shims, and adhered to therollers 177 and 16 without the shims.

Although the two-roller machine illustrated in Figs. 1 through 11 isentirely satisfactory from the standpoint of operation and quality ofwork produced thereon, the three-roller machine illustrated in Figs. 12through 14 has several advantages thereover. In the three-roller machinethe inking roller 176 applies ink only to the die members 180 on roller177 whereas in the two-roller machine the ink is applied as a continuousband around the surface of *dieplate 22-. This (Inference inconstruction represents a savings in the amount of ink used and alsoenables the use of an inking "roller of fixed width for inking dieplates of various widths. Furthermore, since the distortion of therubber surface on the inking roller is not relied upon for filling theengraving cuts on the printing :r'oller, less pressure between theinking roller and t-hedie roller is required and the inking roller isthere fore subjected to less wear and tear and may be formed of a lessexpensive material. I have found, in addition, that the film of inkapplied to the engraved "die may be controlled more easily byemploying-the male die member 'as the means for applying the ink to theengraving cuts in the printing die.

The engraved legend on the die plate is referred to herein as beingformed in intaglio and the legend pro .jecting from the surface of thecounters or male die is referred to as being formed in relief.

l. A rotary engraving press comprising a support, cylindrical roller onsaid support, a die plate on said roller having a legend which includessolid lines engraved in the surface thereof, av second cylindricalroller on said support juxtaposed to said first roller and mounted on anaxis parallel to the axis of the first roller, acounter on said secondroller having said legend in relief on the surface thereof, the legendon said counterbeing arranged to register with the legend on said dieplate when the rollers are rotated in opposite directions, meansforfeeding a web of paper between said rollers, said second roller beingarranged to support said paper web in contact with the surfaces of saiddie plate and counter as the web passes through the plane of the axes ofsaid rollers, means for rotating said rollers in opposite directions andat the same surface speed of said plate and counter, means for applyinga heavy film of ink to said legend and the surface of said first rollerof such thickness to substantially fill the engraved cuts in saidlegend, a cylindrical wiping roller mounted on said supportjuxtaposition to said first roller on an axis parallel to the axis ofsaid first roller, said wiping roller being positioned to contact thesurface of said die plate on saidfirst roller as said last mentionedsurfacetravels from said inking means toward said second roller, andmeans for rotating said wiping roller at a surface speed greater thanthat of the surface of the die plate and in a directionsuch that thecontact ing surfaces of said wiping roller and die plate move inopposite directions. v

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said wiping roller hasthe cylindrical surface thereof formed of a non-metallic material whichis relatively hard and non-absorbent to liquids.

3. Thecombination set forth in claim 1 including a framepivotaily-nieunred on said support and on which said wiping roller ismounted and re silientmeans biasing said frame in a direction towardsaid first roller.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 including a shaft for supportingsaid wiping roller on said frame, a cam member and a cam follower memberon said shaft, one of said members being fixed to rotate with the shaftand means for positively rotating the other member relative to the shaftwhereby to oscillate said wiping roller axially.

5. The combination set forth in claim 3 including means for cleaningsaid wiping roller comprising means positioned for directing a stream ofsolvent to a portion of the surface of said roller substantiallyimmediately after said portion of said surface moves out of contact withsaid die plate, means spaced circumferentially in the direction ofrotation from said solvent applying means for scrubbing the surfaceportion of said wiping roller to which solvent is previously applied bysaid solvent applying means, means spaced still furthercircumferentially in the direction of rotation for removing thesubstantially immediately after it wipes over the surface of said dieplate, means spaced circumferentially of said solvent-applying means inthe direction of rotation of said wiping roller for scrubbing thesurface of said wiping roller after the solvent has been appliedthereto, means positioned circumferentially further in the direction ofrotation of said wiping roller for removing the ink and solvent from thescrubbed surface of said wiping roller, and rotary means positionedstill further circumferentially in the direction of rotation of saidWiping roller for bufiing the surface thereof to dry the same before itagain contacts the inked surface of said first roller.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein said means for removingink and solvent from the surface of said wiping roller includes a bladearranged to wipe the surface of said wiping roller.

8. A rotary engraving press comprising a support, a cylindricalroller'on said support, a die plate on said roller having a legendincluding solid lines engraved in the surface thereof, a secondcylindrical roller on said support juxtaposed to said first roller andmounted on an axis parallel to the axis of the first roller, a counteron said second' roller having a relief legend thereon which is arrangedto register with the legend on said die-plate when said rollers arerotated, means for feeding a web of paper between said rollers, saidsecond roller being arranged to support said paper web in contact withthe surfaces of said die plate and counter as the web passes through theplane of the axes of said rollers, means for rotating said rollers inopposite directions and at the same surface speed,

means for applying a heavy film of ink to said legend and the surface ofsaid die plate on the first roller of such thickness to substantiallycompletely fill the engraved cuts in said legend, a frame pivotallysupported on said support on an axis parallel to the axis of said firstroller, a wiping roller journalled on said frame in juxtaposition tosaid first roller for rotation on an axis parallel to said pivotal axis,means for rotating said wiping roller at a surface speed greater thanthat of said first roller, and means for resiliently biasing andpivotally adjusting said frame for positioning said wiping roller incontact with the surface of the die plate on said first roller.

9. A rotary printing and embossing press comprising a support, acylindrical roller on said support, a die plate on said roller having alegend including solid lines engraved in the surface thereof, a pair ofspaced apart cylindrical rollers mounted on said support adjacent saidfirst roller and each having a counter thereon provided with said legendin relief on the surface thereof, said first roller and said pair ofrollers being mounted in juxtaposition on parallel axes, means forrotating said first roller in one direction and said pair of rollers inthe opposite direction and at a speed such that said surfaces havingsaid legends travel at the same velocity, said axes being spaced andsaid engraved and relief legends being located on the surfaces of saidrollers so that the engraved legend on said die plate registers andinterfits with the relief legends on the surfaces of each counter onsaid pair of rollers during rotation of the rollers as the legends ontwo adjacently positioned rollers pass through the plane of the axes ofsaid adjacently positioned rollers, means for applying a film of ink tothe surface and the legend in relief on one of said counters and awiping roller arranged to wipe the surface of said die plate to removethe ink deposited thereon by said last mentioned counter while leavingthe ink in the cuts of the engraved legend.

10. The combination set forth in claim 9 including means for feeding aweb of paper between said first roller and the other of said pair ofrollers whereby the counter on one roller of said pair of rollersapplies ink to the engraved legend on said first roller and said web ofpaper is simultaneously printed and embossed between the die plate onsaid first roller and the counter on the other roller of said pair ofrollers.

11. The combination set forth in claim 9 wherein said counters areformed of a hardenable plastic material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS359,513 Millard Mar. 15, 1887 581,201 Haddon et al. Apr. 20, 1897632,372 Sackville et al. Sept. 5, 1899 680,533 Marinier et al Aug. 13,1901 690,822 Avril Jan. 7, 1902 805,697 Avril Nov. 28, 1905 805,699Avril Nov. 28, 1905 1,082,586 Georges et a1. Dec. 30, 1913 1,643,145Winkler Sept. 20, 1927 1,732,846 Jones Oct. 22, 1929 1,780,694 AlgerNov. 4, 1930 1,784,037 Wolf Dec. 9, 1930 2,181,435 Loris Nov. 28, 19392,201,008 MacArthur May 14, 1940 2,320,698 Drake June 1, 1943 FOREIGNPATENTS 17,164 Great Britain Aug. 12, 1909 18,055 Great Britain Nov. 9,1916 548,280 Germany Apr. 8, 1932

